Feel Like Me
by brookemopolitan
Summary: <html><head></head>Quinn and Rachel unite over shared feelings and perhaps a song. Set during Born This Way but written before the episode aired. Faberry friendship, and a smattering of Quam and Puckleberry</html>


I wrote this baby after hearing the Faberry mashup, but I was a little bit late in getting it up... I've yet to see BTW, but I'm assuming that its probably more detailed than what they did on the show. Many thanks to the fabulous JenBoben (thatgleekychick on twitter) for holding my hand and encouraging me to finish this baby!

Don't own... duh

* * *

><p>Rachel held in a sigh when she saw Finn and Quinn flirting at the next bay of lockers down to her. She fluffed her hair lightly, and reapplied her lipgloss. She saw Finn plant a kiss on the tip of Quinn's nose. Rachel cringed and inspected her own nose in the small mirror Kurt had installed in her locker. No wonder Finn had never done the same thing to her nose. It was massive. She swallowed the thick mess of insecurities and forced her <em>I'm a totally secure star in the making<em> smile on her face as she walked past them. She wasn't oblivious to Quinn's vicelike grip on Finn's arm, nor was she fail to recognise the eerily similar frozen quality to Quinn's _back off he's mine_ face. Rachel ordered herself to focus on a tiny point on the wall ahead of her, and directed all her energy to making it to that point, and not turning bright red and crying at the sight. Her giant nose would leak if she cried anyway.

* * *

><p>A major advantage of having no friends is that nobody tends to notice you. You're guaranteed to go unnoticed if the truly fabulous Kurt Hummel reprises his role as the token gay kid in the Glee club, especially when he brings his cute private school boyfriend with him. Rachel truly adored Kurt, and his flamboyant presence gave her the opportunity to sink into the background.<p>

"You have to tell them." Blaine murmured to Kurt. Rachel smiled at their linked hands, but her interest was piqued by their conversation.

"Finn's love life is none of my business, and I intend to keep it that way. I'm potentially in enough hot water coming back here at all Blaine, I need as many people on my side as I can." Kurt hissed back.

"I get that mio caro, but they're both your friends too; especially Rachel. He's leading them both on, and by saying nothing, you're making it ok. Just think about that." Blaine implored him.

"If I march up to Quinn Fabray and announce that Finn is sleeping with half the Cheerios just because he can, because he never actually committed to a relationship, and she was the one who decided for the both of them they were back together, I think i'd be without several body parts you enjoy very much, and I have no idea what Rachel would do; but it wouldn't be pretty." Kurt replied.

"Just consider it tesoro. You'd want to know the truth, and they deserve better." Blaine told him firmly. Kurt nodded his acquiescence, kissing Blaine's cheek lightly. Rachel forced herself to look forward and concentrate on Mr. Schuester's words. She really didn't care for this week's assignment. They had Nationals to prepare for; they simply didn't have the time to be wasting on meaningless performances to do with identity, and accepting your strengths and flaws. Rachel was well aware of the fact that she was still leaping to grab onto the lowest social rung; despite having dated two football players. The glee club were losers; but if they could get their proverbial excrement together, they would be losers with a National title.

* * *

><p>Rachel sat down with Kurt after Glee rehearsal, Blaine dutifully guarding the door. She strongly suspected Kurt was aware of all she'd overheard, but she played her part and acted shocked accordingly. Kurt noticed the wounded look in Rachel's eyes as he recounted Finn's exploits. Rachel cleared her throat.<p>

"Thank you for letting me know, Kurt.I'm fine, really." She insisted. Blaine came and wrapped her in a much needed hug.

"I'm sorry lover girl." He whispered into her ear. Rachel couldn't help but smile.

"Don't be sorry lover boy. Just keep our drama queen smiling." Rachel replied quietly. She waved the boys off with a obviously fake smile, and sat down at the piano. She tinkered away at the keys, killing time before her next class. She tickled a gentle melody out of the instrument, content to sit in her own little bubble where life was a little less cruel. She was sharply jerked out of her reverie.

"It was you, wasn't it?" An angry voice demanded. Rachel looked up into the murderous face of Quinn Fabray.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Rachel answered semi truthfully. Quinn rounded the piano. Rachel instantly stood up and backed away slightly. She felt far more comfortable with a large object between the two of them.

"I am talking about the giant hickey on Finn's chest. It was your handiwork, you skank!" Quinn accused her.

"I beg your pardon!" Rachel gasped indignantly. That was too far.

"I haven't had anything to do with Finn since our duet at Regionals, thank you very much. If you're looking for the secondary party to Finn's transgressions, perhaps you should look at your morally bankrupt former teammates." Rachel snapped.

"You won't even fess up to it? You've reached a whole new level of pathetic, Yentl." Quinn snarled.

"I can assure you Quinn, I'm far from pathetic. Give Kurt a call, I'm certain he can provide a little

illumination into this situation." Rachel retorted. She flipped her phone out and hit Kurt's speed dial. She put him on loudspeaker and insisted he recount his story to Quinn. She watched Quinn end the call, observing her pallid features.

"He screwed us both over." Rachel commiserated. Quinn stood up abruptly, letting out a defeated sound, and wandered towards the door.

"You know, we aren't so different." Rachel called out. Quinn turned from her position at the doorframe.

"Why would you say a thing like that?" Quinn asked icily, before leaving the room in a swish of blonde hair and floral skirts.

* * *

><p>Quinn glared at the back of Rachel's head in Spanish class. They were nothing alike. Rachel was chatting animatedly in Spanish with Blaine. Quinn could comfortably say she'd never fallen for a gay man. One massive difference there. Quinn had a mom and a dad, she added mentally to the list. Besides having two parents the way nature intended it, Rachel had never once experienced living in a house with all the illusions of loving parents, but the reality had her parents turning their back on her the second things got tough.<p>

Rachel had never had names thrown at her, and dirty stares down the hallway for following through on a decision. Rachel was... she _is_ a freak. She was at the bottom of the high school dogpile, and Quinn was still firmly at the top. No. they were nothing alike, Quinn decided.

The only way you could say they were possibly similar was that they had both been screwed over by guys. That Jesse kid had broken Rachel, and Rachel was clinging to Finn like he could make everything ok. Quinn was well aware that the man you chose to finish your perfect life impacted everything else you ever did. She needed Finn. She needed him to complete the vision of her life that she'd been fed since she was a kid. She didn't need to leave Lima, she wasn't destined for bright lights or fame. She could be happy selling houses and having pretty blonde babies well within wedlock. Rachel didn't fit that shape. Quinn did. There was no way that she and Rachel could be alike at all.

* * *

><p>Rachel actually did feel kind of awful, despite how nasty Quinn had been to her over the years. Nobody deserved to have their boyfriend cheat on them, and to find out through the grapevine of someone you openly despise and her sassy gay friend. Rachel carefully slipped her alphabetised sheet music back into her star patterned folder and placed it in her school bag. Naturally, the room had cleared out in that time. She saw Quinn standing near the white board.<p>

"What did you mean when you said we aren't so different?" Quinn asked. Rachel pondered the question.

"Face it Quinn, we aren't as different as you hope we are. We both have abandonment issues, for a start." Rachel pointed out.

"Now I know you're full of it." Quinn muttered.

"You asked, so I'm going to tell you," Rachel griped back.

"Its not like you left home last year because you didn't like it. You left because you had no choice. You needed your parents more than anything, and they hung you out to dry. My mother hunted me down, realised I didn't fit the cookie cutter image she had set up for herself, and dropped me like a tone deaf contestant on _Idol._ She then turned around and adopted your baby. Do I have issues from that experience that I discuss twice a week with the fabulous Dr. Shane? Of course I do. But i'm going to take a bet and say that you don't have such a healthy outlet for your issues." Rachel shot out.

"That's why I'm such a control freak. And I'd hazard a guess that you're so obsessed with your image for the same reasons. We're both waiting for the other shoe to drop. That's why i'm clingy, and thats why you cheated on Sam." Rachel informed her. Quinn sat down abruptly, face slightly green.

"All he does is make us feel like crap." Quinn whispered.

"He turned me into a whiney parasite." Rachel commented.

"He made me a cheater, again." Quinn replied. They sat in quiet contemplation for a few moments.

"Where the hell does he get off?" Rachel demanded suddenly. Quinn looked at her, eyebrow raised.

"I'm serious. I'm Rachel Barbra Berry. No way does he get to change me into some awful cliché of a high school girl. I have goals damnit!" Rachel ranted.

"I distinctly remember saying this to you a few weeks ago Manhands." Quinn groaned quietly. Rachel was on a roll. No way would she be stopping for Quinn's interjections.

"I mean, he's no Aaron Tviet. He just doesn't have a complete enough package for me to forget myself." Rachel's monologue was in full force

"Or you, for that matter, making you think you're stuck in Lima. What has he done to us?" Rachel asked.

"Maybe he's an alien who sucked out our brains." Quinn pondered.

"I think that is a very likely possibility." Rachel agreed. She sat back down next to Quinn.

"He never makes me feel beautiful." Quinn confessed.

"Sam made me feel like I was a princess, even though I'm pretty sure he thought I was that blue princess from _Avatar._" Quinn added softly.

"I felt like I was constantly centre stage when I was with Jesse. All the bright lights were on me, and his focus couldn't waver. Finn constantly makes me feel like the girl who doesn't get a callback because she doesn't fit the mould. And as for the Na'vi princess thing? Zoe Scaldana is gorgeous." Rachel replied. She felt a curious pain in her chest for not mentioning somebody else who never made her feel less stunning, but she felt it might be inappropriate to bring it up to Quinn, especially when she didn't have the words to explain it to herself, let alone anyone else.

"Where does that leave us?" Quinn asked Rachel. Rachel cleared her throat and picked her school bag up.

"Well, I'd sing about it." Rachel said.

"Think about it." She added, heading out the door.

* * *

><p>Rachel sat in her dining room, her French Revolution notes spread out across the table, <em>Les Mis<em> soundtrack playing in the background (she was well aware that the musical was set a good forty years after the event in question, but it got her into the right frame of mind. And she couldn't study without music in the background.) she was just getting into the gritty details of the affair of the diamond necklace (Marie Antoinette was framed, in her humble opinion) when her daddy entered the room.

"Baby girl, you have a phone call." He said, handing her the cordless phone. Rachel frowned; Kurt was pathologically afraid of calling house phone numbers, preferring to text, and she knew Mercedes had choir rehearsals at her church.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Singing a duet doesn't make us friends." The voice replied.

"Quinn?" Rachel questioned.

"No, its the ghost of Christmas Past. Yes it's Quinn." She replied snappily.

"Of course it doesn't make us friends. We're two performers with a mutual goal. So you're interested?"Rachel confirmed.

"Yeah, i'm interested. Nobody gets away with making Quinn Fabray look the fool. Especially not Finn Hudson. He only ever notices when someone sings around him. So how do we do this?" Quinn asked.

"Well, I guess we need to pick some some songs. There's a plethora of sheet music available online." Rachel said.

"So we pick songs and meet tomorrow. We can't practice at my house." Quinn decided. Rachel was taken aback by Quinn's bluntness.

"Of course not. I'm sure I have more music equipment here anyway. Meet at my house at 6pm? I have a dance class after school." Rachel proposed.

"See you then." Quinn agreed, abruptly hanging up the phone.

* * *

><p>Quinn wandered through Rachel's house, looking for the music room Rachel's dad had directed her to (third door on the left up the stairs). She'd been to Rachel's house before, but she was absolutely plastered by the time she thought exploring upstairs was a good idea. The house looked like any of the households of the WASP community that she'd grown up around. Immaculately painted walls, and photo frame after photo frame on the walls. Image after image of Rachel smiled down at her. Quinn finally walked into the music room, and found Rachel lying on the floor, a heavy book on her tummy, reciting Shakespeare's <em>All The World's a Stage <em> eventually looked up to the doorframe.

"Hi Quinn." She greeted. She stood up and put her book away.

"Have you warmed up?" Rachel asked, gesturing for Quinn to put her bag down.

"I went for a run this morning." Quinn said with a slight frown.

"I'm talking about your voice, actually." Rachel said. At Quinn's blank look, Rachel led through twenty minutes of vocal warm ups, including scales, stretching, making a noise Rachel described as a siren, and inexplicably; blowing up a balloon. Quinn felt particularly strange performing the siren, but she would die before telling Rachel that it felt fantastic on her vocal cords.

"What songs did you come up with?" Rachel asked. Quinn pulled out a copy of sheet music and handed it to Rachel. Rachel inspected it with a trained eye. It was a solid choice.

"What do you think?" Quinn asked. Rachel discreetly crumpled the post-it note that marked her own song choice. Clearly she had to adjust her own perspective slightly.

"I really like it." Rachel said.

"What did you come up with?" Quinn queried.

"Oh, nothing as suitable as this." Rachel assured her quickly.

"Did you envisage this as a a direct translation of the original song, or would you like to interpret it a little bit more?" Rachel asked. She was doing her best not to jump in and decide exactly how she would perform it (she'd do a piano based Broadway interpretation of the song, but she doubted that Quinn would go for that), and she hoped that Quinn would notice it.

"Is that important now?" Quinn asked.

"Kinda, yeah. It will help us learn it, and we'll need to sort out what accompaniment we'll need." Rachel said.

"Well, I guess I thought it would be kinda stripped back. More about the voices than the instruments. Lots of harmonies." Quinn described. Rachel nodded, and sat down at the piano, fiddling around til she found the melody.

"I can't play and sing, but this should be enough until I can make a track on Garage Band." Rachel said. Quinn nodded. She liked to sing, but she didn't really understand the technical side to music (it had taken Sam almost an hour to teach her the opening chords to _Lucky_), so she was more than happy to leave that to Rachel.

* * *

><p>Several days later, Rachel listened to Quinn sing the opening verse of the song. She looked and listened to Quinn with a (constructively) critical eye and ear. She paused the track she'd made.<p>

"I just want to try something. Don't freak out." Rachel warned. She directed Quinn to start singing without the music. Rachel moved up to her, and gently pushed her shoulders down. She then adjusted the position of Quinn's head. Rachel grinned when she heard the quality of Quinn's vocals improve. Quinn stopped singing.

"What did that do?" She asked.

"You're a self trained singer, aren't you?" Rachel asked. Quinn nodded.

"You've developed a few bad habits, that's all. By keeping your shoulders down, you're going to utilise your diaphragm more, meaning you won't damage your throat, and the position of your head really does impact the way your voice sounds." Rachel explained.

"I have a deviated septum." Quinn explained. Rachel gave her a curious look.

"I got hit in the nose by a volleyball at bible camp the summer before eighth grade. There was lots of blood, and aside from some teasing, I have a deviated septum. That's why my voice sounds so nasally." Quinn admitted. Rachel sensed how uncomfortable Quinn sounded.

"That's nothing to be ashamed of." Rachel said.

"Seriously. Your voice has this sexy Melissa Etheridge quality to it. Own it. Most girls can't work with a husky voice, but just like Joss Stone, you've made it work for you." Rachel encouraged her.

"No songs ever seem to suit my vocal range." Quinn pointed out. Rachel shrugged.

"That's because good altos are hard to come by. That's a blessing. You have way less competition." Rachel told her. Rachel heard her father call her name and excused herself. Quinn took the opportunity to find the folder she'd seen Rachel shove away the first day they'd rehearsed, and see her song selection. She nodded to herself, and quickly shoved it away when she heard Rachel enter the room again.

"My dad asked if you want to stay for dinner?" Rachel asked.

"My mom won't be home from work for a few more hours. Anything is better than the Ramen noodles I'd be having at home." Quinn said. Rachel went to the stairs and called out to her father.

"Dinner will be about a half hour. Do you want to keep rehearsing?" Quinn asked. Rachel nodded.

"Is it alright for me to try something?" Quinn asked.

"Sure." Rachel responded. Quinn started singing the first verse. As Rachel was singing the final words of the first chorus, Quinn began to experiment. She began to sing the opening lyrics of the song choice she'd seen Rachel push away. Rachel stopped abruptly.

"This isn't just about me, Rachel. We need to work in some of your choices as well. Do we have time to rework it?" Quinn asked.

"I'm sure we can." Rachel replied.

* * *

><p>Quinn parked her car in the driveway of her house, and sat for a few minutes. She was overwhelmed by how NICE Rachel's parents were. They had been nothing but lovely to her over dinner, despite the fact that the were well aware of her parentage, and well aware that her ever so lovely parents had sent them hate mail more than once over the years. They were also incredibly normal. Her dads talked about work, and Rachel chattered about school. They were all certain to include Quinn in conversation. It was fascinating to see the way less intense at home Rachel, and Quinn couldn't get over how comfortable she felt at their dinner table. She sighed and made her way into the house.<p>

"Where have you been?" Her mother greeted her. Quinn held in a groan. A hello would suffice.

"Hello Mother. How was your day? My day was fantastic. I got an A on my biology test, and I spent the afternoon working on a number for Glee. I had dinner at my teammate's house." Quinn replied tightly. It so wasn't worth letting her mother find out where she'd been. Even though her mother was a newly liberated, divorced woman, she stayed true to her pentecostal Christian beliefs, and had fear of people like the Berry family instilled in her like the fear of God Himself.

"You know you're supposed to tell me when you won't be home." Her mother reminded her. Quinn refrained from reminding her mother that it wouldn't have mattered, because they'd both only just come through the door anyway. She'd been grounded the last time she'd tried that.

"I have a lot of homework to do." Quinn muttered, moving past her mother to move up to the sanctuary of her room.

* * *

><p>Quinn was well and truly a latchkey kid. She left the house well after her mother, and sat in her car. She groaned when it wouldn't start. She'd missed the bus by a mile, and considering she had an English paper due in first period, it really wasn't a day she could just blow off. She pulled out her phone.<p>

My car broke down. Do you think you could pick me up? She sent. She cringed as she waited for a response.

Be there in five. Quinn grabbed her bags from her car, and locked it up. She sighed with relief when she saw Rachel's purple VW Beetle come around the corner. Quinn climbed in quickly.

"Thank you!" She said gratefully.

"No problems Quinn." Rachel replied. They spent the rest of the trip in silence. Rachel was approaching the school when she turned to Quinn.

"Would you like to get out here?" She asked.

"Why would I want to do that?" Quinn asked.

"I can understand if you wouldn't want to be seen with me." Rachel said. Quinn was shocked by how calm Rachel sounded. As if she expected Quinn to get out. Like she expected to be treated like she was second best.

"Screw that. I'm kinda enjoying this music anyway." Quinn said. Rachel smiled.

"It's the _Rock of Ages_ soundtrack." Rachel replied.

"Cool." Quinn agreed.

"What are we going to wear for this performance?" Quinn asked. Rachel pondered the question.

"Something that makes us feel beautiful, I guess." Rachel replied.

"I guess that was obvious." Quinn replied. Rachel carefully parked.

"Thank you for the ride." Quinn said politely.

"I'll see you later, Quinn." Rachel replied.

* * *

><p>Rachel pulled up every single one of her nerves and forced her grip to lighten on her newly arranged sheet music. She walked up to Puck.<p>

"Sup Berry?" He greeted her.

"Noah, I need a favour." She told him.

"Is that the only reason you talk to me?" He asked bluntly.

"Of course not." Rachel replied.

"Seems like it." He shot back.

"Come off it Puckerman. You ignore me at temple, and I'm pretty sure Lauren would eat me alive if we spent too much time together at school." She whispered.

"This isn't about Finn. It's about me. I really need you for this Noah." Rachel added earnestly.

"What do you want?" He groaned. Rachel squealed and handed him the sheet music. Puck read over it.

"I guess I can handle this." He muttered. Rachel clapped her hands and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you so much!" She squeaked.

* * *

><p>Quinn met Rachel at her car that afternoon. She held back a laugh as Rachel fiddled with her stereo for several minutes until she found the music she wanted. Rachel started the car up and pulled out into the street.<p>

"What is this?" Quinn asked.

"The music? Its the _Hair _soundtrack." Rachel answered.

"I like it." Quinn decided. Rachel grinned at her as she pulled into Quinn's driveway.

"Do you want to decide on some outfits?" Rachel asked. Quinn froze.

"My mom's home" Quinn murmured. She looked over at Rachel.

"I'm not saying this to be a bitch, but stay in the car." Quinn said. Rachel frowned.

"Quinn..." Rachel started.

"Rachel, unless you want to hear my mom quote letter and verse of the bible and explain exactly why you're an abomination, stay right here." Quinn ordered. Rachel was so taken aback that she sat where she was. Ten minutes later Quinn scooted back into the car clad in an old Cheerios hoodie and yoga pants with an armful of dresses.

"Go before she comes out here!" Quinn commanded.

"I'm not going anywhere until you explain what that was all about." Rachel declared. Quinn groaned.

"Just because my mom kicked my dad out doesn't mean she's not a WASP. She's still scared of gay people, and she's convinced Lady Gaga is a tool of the devil." Quinn explained rapidly.

"Its not like I'm embarrassed to be seen with you or anything. I was just trying to spare you some humiliation. Can we go now?" Quinn added. Rachel hid her shocked smile and pulled away from the curb.

* * *

><p>Quinn flipped through Rachel's wardrobe again.<p>

"This should not be this difficult." She complained. They both had plenty of lovely dresses. However, finding a lovely dress for each of them that didn't clash with the other was the challenge. Something caught her eye.

"Rachel, put this on!" Quinn commanded. Rachel moved to her bathroom (as Quinn had insisted, after the first time Rachel had gone to try on a dress and taken off her not-so-hideous plaid skirt right in front of her), and Quinn flipped through her collection of dresses, before pulling one on. Rachel came out and they both stood in front of the mirror.

"I think this is it." Rachel said. Quinn nodded in agreement.

"Natural makeup?" Quinn asked. Rachel agreed.

"Kurt will probably come in and take over anyway."

"I can't believe we actually managed to pull this off." Quinn wondered.

"I'm not THAT bad." Rachel quipped. Quinn looked over at Rachel.

"No, I guess you're not." Quinn decided quietly. Rachel grinned. She flittered over to the bathroom and quickly took the dress off, lest it get wrinkled. When she came out, Quinn was carefully hanging up her dress. Rachel plopped down on the bed.

"He's going to see what we're saying, right?" She asked Quinn. Quinn flopped down on the bed next to her.

"He better." Quinn replied.

"Even if he doesn't, it's still going to be an amazing performance." Rachel decided. Quinn rested her head on Rachel's shoulder.

"Hells yes it will be."

* * *

><p>Quinn and Rachel used their free period to sneak into the choir room to warm up and have a runthough. They both jumped when they saw someone come through the door. Two someones to be particular.<p>

"We figured you'd want to have a run through with the band." Puck explained easily. Rachel noticed Quinn's intake of breath when Sam sat down at the drumkit.

"I added strings, but they're narks and wouldn't skip class." Puck added breezily. Rachel restrained herself from giving Puck a lecture about his future, but she was too busy being impressed that he used his initiative to adjust the instrumentation of the song. All thoughts of lecturing Puck for skipping class completely evaporated when she heard the adjustments he'd made.

"The music is beautiful." Quinn told the boys when they'd finished a run through.

"Thank you so much for everything." Rachel added. As they were packing up the instruments and setting up the room for their performance, Rachel found herself next to Puck.

"Thank you." She said simply. Her own grin magnified a hundredfold when she saw what she referred to as the 'Noah smile' crack on Puck's face.

"No problemo Berry." He replied.

"This isn't going to get you in trouble with Lauren, is it?" Rachel asked him. He shrugged.

"Nah." He said with typical Puckerman swagger. He leaned over.

"Between the two of us? Me and Zizes are a thing of the past." He added with a wink.

"And you're ok with that?" She asked.

"Why be with someone who only makes you feel like crap? Even my mom is nicer to me than she was." He added. Rachel felt no qualms about what she did next. She pulled him into a tight hug.

"Thank you." She repeated.

"For everything." She said firmly, planting a kiss on his cheek. She felt him return the hug (those guns were good for something, that was certain) and Quinn caught her eye across the room and winked.

* * *

><p>Rachel walked out of the cubicle, clad in her one shouldered nude dress with golden detailing for the performance. Quinn stood at the mirror, pinning up her hair, already dressed in her draped cream dress.<p>

"Puck makes you feel pretty." Quinn stated. Rachel gaped at her.

"Relax Rachel. He's so much nicer around you. And he balances your crazy." Quinn soothed her.

"I didn't know he was going to get Sam to help out. I didn't even know Sam plays the drums." Rachel told her.

"I'm here, I'm queer, and I'm going to make you look fab-u-lousssss" Kurt sang out as he opened the door to the bathroom dramatically. He stopped and looked the girls up and down, and wiped away imaginary tears.

"I'm so proud of you. Those dresses are fabulous. Quinn, red heels. Rachel, you gotta go with the nude satin peeptoes." Kurt declared. Quinn and Rachel exchanged looks. Kurt Hummel was back, bitches.

"So, in the spirit of accepting ourselves just as we are, we have Quinn and Rachel ready to sing for us." Mr. Schue announced. Rachel and Quinn exchanged a look, and walked up to the performance space and sat on the stools they'd set up.

"Quinn and I decided to do this number because we both know what its like to be made to feel like we're not worthy. We also know what its like to feel beautiful. We hope that the right people understand what we're trying to say." Rachel explained. She looked over at Quinn and gave her a small smile as Puck began to play the intro of the song.

_I wish could tie you up in my shoes_ _Make you feel unpretty too_ _I was told I was beautiful_ _But what does that mean to you_ _Look into the mirror who's inside there_ _The one with the long hair_ _Same old me again today_

Rachel looked over to Quinn and began to sing

**My outsides are cool**

**My insides are blue**

**Everytime I think I'm through** **It's because of you**

**I've tried different ways ** **But it's all the same**

**At the end of the day ** **I have myself to blame**

**I'm just trippin'** Rachel and Quinn exchanged a glance as they began to sing the chorus

_**You can buy your hair if it won't grow**_

_You can fix your nose if he says so _Quinn sang with a knowing look towards Rachel as she harmonised over Quinn.

_**You can buy all the make up **_ _**That M.A.C. can make**_ _**But if you can't look inside you**_

_Find out who am I too_

_**Be in the position to make me feel **_

__ **So damn unpretty**

Quinn looked over to the drumkit as she began to sing the mashup she'd insisted on

_I feel pretty _  
><strong>Oh so pretty<strong>  
><em>I feel<em> _**pretty and witty and bright**_

Rachel shot a smile to a proudly grinning Kurt

**Never insecure until I met you**

**Now I'm bein' stupid** **I used to be so cute to me**

_**Just a little bit skinny **_Quinn interjected along with her _W_

_hy do I look to all these things _

_**To keep you happy**_

**Maybe get rid of you **

**And then I'll get back to me **

Rachel shot a grin to a blindly happy Kurt. Rachel finally got to belt a little bit as Quinn sang the bridge

_My outsides look cool_

_My insides are blue_

_Everytime I think I'm through_ _It's because of you_

I**'ve tried different ways **

**But it's all the same**

**At the end of the day ** **I have myself to blame**

** Keep on trippin'**

The music built around the girls, and Quinn was able to build along with it thanks to Rachel's assistance

_**You can buy your hair if it won't grow**_

_You can fix your nose if he says so _

_**You can buy all the make up **_ _**That M.A.C. can make**_

_**But if you can't look inside you**_

_Find out who am I too_

_**Be in the position to make me feel **_

__ **So damn unpretty** Rachel didn't even think about it when she reached over to grab Quinn's hand, and Quinn was blind to social repercussions when she rested their joined hands on her lap _I_

_ feel pretty _

**Oh so pretty**  
><em>I feel<em> _**pretty and witty and bright**_

_And I pity _**any girl who isn't me tonight**

Both girls began to harmonise with the music, before finally beginning to sing both choruses over each other

**I feel pretty  
>Oh so pretty<br>I feel pretty and witty and bright**

_You can buy your hair if it won't grow_

_You can fix your nose if he says so_

_You can buy all the make up _ _That M.A.C. can make_ _But if_

Rachel stopped singing _I Feel Pretty _over Quinn and began to harmonise with her again.

_**you can't look inside you**_

_Find out who am I too_

_**Be in the position to make me feel **_**So damn unpretty**

Quinn and Rachel locked eyes with the same person in the audience as they sang the final lyrics

_I feel pretty_

_**But unpretty.**_

The audience burst into cheers when the girls finished.

Quinn and Rachel grinned at each other before Quinn reached over and pulled Rachel into a tight hug.

"You know this doesn't make us friends, right?" Rachel asked teasingly.

"No way." Quinn replied. They turned towards their audience and took a well deserved bow.

* * *

><p>Rachel had changed out of her dress and was helping tidy the choir room when Finn approached her.<p>

"That mashup was awesome." He told her earnestly.

"That was all Quinn." Rachel answered as she stacked up some chairs.

"Hearing you sing like that... It made me think that we could maybe try again?" He asked hopefully. Rachel dropped the chair she was holding, aghast.

"Are you an idiot?" She asked icily. Finn began to stutter.

"Let me clarify something for you, Finn. You're not the one who makes me feel pretty. You're the one that nine time out of ten, makes me feel awful!" Rachel raged. A Berrylogue was happening; the whole club could tell.

"No, we will not be trying again. You are my teammate, and that is it. I'm tired of not feeling good enough. Your pattern of wanting me for a while, then dumping me when Quinn seems more appealing, and then doing the same to Quinn is over. Have fun with your Cheerios." Rachel snapped. Finn looked over at Quinn.

"Don't even try it with me." Quinn growled. The glee club looked anxiously between the three of them, waiting for a fight. They all groaned when the bell for lunch rang. "Out you go guys." Mr. Schue called. The club all grumbled as they were ordered to leave.

"Kosher lunch, Berry?" Puck asked, offering Rachel his arm. Rachel took his arm.

"If Quinn can join us, absolutely." She agreed. They walked out of the room.

Quinn snagged Sam's arm. "I'm sorry." She said quietly.

"I know an apology isn't enough, and I humiliated you, and you probably don't want anything to do with me, and I get that, but I just wanted to say it." Quinn added. "You've never had a guy just be nice to you, have you?" Sam asked. Quinn shook her head.

"Can I prove that nice guys don't always have to finish last?" Sam questioned. Quinn smiled.

"Can we be friends first?" She wondered. Sam offered him her arm.

"I think we can." He said. With that, they walked out of the choir room, and went and joined Puck and Rachel for lunch.

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><p>So... love it? hate it? Reviews?<p> 


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